In other primary news

Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon, has won the Oregon Senate primary and will face incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley. Wehby defeated state Rep. Jason Conger by a margin of 51-37.

Such polling as exists suggests that Wehby has a shot at defeating her non-descript opponent. However, Wehby, a divorced mother, has come under fire for her involvement in two domestic disputes.

Her ex-boyfriend apparently called the police on her for alleged harassment. But according to Michael Warren of the Weekly Standard, the ex-boyfriend in question, a local businessman, says he regrets calling the police. Moreover, he has been funding a pro-Wehby super PAC.

Democrats have also unearthed police documents showing that Wehby’s ex-husband accused her of harassment and of striking him in 2007 when they were finalizing their divorce. He also called the police on her in 2009 during a dispute about seeing the couple’s children. As far as I can tell, no charges were filed in either instance.

The Wehby campaign counters by accusing the Dems of waging a “war on women.” I don’t know about that, but it does seem unfair and vaguely sexist to attack Wehby, in effect, for being the female party in a contentious divorce — provided she was not found to have engaged in unlawful conduct.

Unfortunately, Wehby has always faced a somewhat uphill battle to unseat Merkley. Evidence of police reports about her, however innocuous, may make her climb steeper.

Meanwhile, in Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District, Bruce Westerman defeated Tommy Moll, of whom I wrote very favorably, in the Republican primary. The margin was 54.3-45.7.

Westerman, the majority leader in the Arkansas house, is a formidable candidate. Moll, who spent a substantial amount of time working in Washington DC, was a newcomer to Arkansas politics.

Seen in this light, Moll’s showing is pretty impressive. Moreover, even some Westerman supporters have said, off the record, that Moll impressed them.